Josh Pate Explains Why One College Football Program Became the Sport's Villain

College football always has heroes and also has villains. How teams or players get to being those differs, but there are always a few that stand out.

The Brendan Sorsby Saga Put Texas Tech Under the Spotlight

This year, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are in line to be one of the villains. This is due to their handling of the Brendan Sorsby saga. Sorsby was one of the highest-rated transfer portal commitments and was tasked with leading Texas Tech back to the College Football Playoff after it broke through in 2025.

However, it was revealed that Sorsby had been gambling on several sports, including his own team, when he was at Indiana.

The NCAA immediately made him ineligible, which is a common punishment for this offense. However, he decided to take the NCAA to court, where a judge granted him an injunction, clearing the way for him to play in 2026.

This was met with a lot of criticism. Texas Tech initially backed Sorsby through the process, which drew even more criticism. However, both sides decided it would be best to part ways and let Sorsby prepare for the NFL.

Brendan Sorsby looks to throw during the Texas Tech football team's spring game at Jones AT&T Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Josh Pate Explains Why Texas Tech Has Become College Football's Villain

While Sorsby will not play football at Texas Tech this season, that hasn't stopped fans from putting them in the "villain" category, according to college football analyst Josh Pate on "Josh Pate's College Football Show."

"I think the lingering effect of people witnessing what they just witnessed, which the rest of the world viewed as unjustified, and Texas Tech disagrees," Pate said.

"When you talk about villains, that's the nature of a villain. The villain is doing what the villain wants to do and what they think is right, and everyone disagrees. Voilà, you have a villain."

Winning Is the Only Way for Texas Tech to Silence the Critics

Texas Tech now finds itself in a position that many successful programs eventually face: embracing the role of the team everyone wants to see fail.

The Sorsby situation has created plenty of outside criticism, but the Red Raiders have an opportunity to change the conversation on the field.

Another championship-caliber season and a run through the College Football Playoff would quickly shift the focus from controversy to success. However, anything short of that will keep the program under a microscope as it tries to prove it belongs among college football's elite.

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